Category Archives: Plant Portraits

talk to me about the weather

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Denise

When I was a callow youth, a period of uncertain beginning and dubious ending, if all you could talk about was the weather, you had my sympathy. (Possibly you also had my barely concealed disdain as well as sympathy. I … Continue reading →

Posted in edibles, Occasional Daily Weather Report, Plant Portraits, science | Tagged Zea mays 'Tiger Cub' | 12 Comments

Lotus jacobaeus’ nonstop summer concert

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Denise

a summer garden is a lot like an outdoor jazz concert, the surprising improvisations and unexpected solos. I checked past Bloom Day posts, and this nearly black-flowered lotus started its nonstop performance back in January. This short-lived perennial for zones … Continue reading →

Posted in plant crushes, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged Cape Verde Islands, Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue, Duke Ellington, Lotus jacobaeus, Newport Jazz Festival 1956, Paul Gonsalves, Senecio anteuphorbium, tenor saxophone | 7 Comments

salvias, large and small

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Denise

Two salvias new to my garden, both in bloom this first week of July. Looking at these photos, I can easily imagine a response of: You’re kidding. Those washed-out things? So what? Why I find certain plants appealing is a … Continue reading →

Posted in plant crushes, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged Annie's Annuals & Perennials, Huntington Botanical Gardens, Salvia sclarea 'Piemont', Salvia taraxicifolia | 3 Comments

crocosmia

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Denise

Thin stands of crocosmia are what’s left of the formerly generous clumps of fast-thickening cultivars with names like ‘Star of the East,’ ‘Solfatarre,’ ‘George Davidson.’ They pop up now as anonymous singletons in surprising locations every year, always some shade … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, design, Plant Portraits | Tagged crocosmia, Persicaria amplexicaulis | 2 Comments

plant crushes

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Denise

New plant crushes developed since visiting the Huntington Botanical Gardens on Saturday. For frost-free zones 10-11, from Mexico, South America, Jatropha multifida. Easy from seed, fast growing, drought tolerant shrub or small tree. Spectacular coral flowers give it the common … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden visit, plant crushes, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged Agave 'Snow Glow', Cactus and Succulent Society of America, Huntington Botanical Gardens, Jatropha multifida, Pelargonium caffrum X 'Diana', Tillandsia xerographica, variegated opuntia | 7 Comments

Friday clippings 6/29/12

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Denise

Lobelia tupa from Chile is blooming for the first time in my garden, thereby making everything right again with the world. Long time coming, Ms. Tupa. The color on the lobelia is deeper than salmon but slightly less intense than … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, clippings, design, journal, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Agave bovicornuta, Agave guadalajarana, Annie's Annuals & Perennials, Cactus and Succulent Society of America, CSSA, Dahlia 'Chat Noir', dahlias, expanded steel, Huntington Botanical Gardens, industrial salvage, Lepismium cruciforme, Lobelia tupa, Petunia axillaris, Petunia integrifolia, Portulaca molokiniensis, Teucrium betonicum | 7 Comments

Karl Blossfeldt Botanical Photogravures

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Denise

MB Maher brought these incredible antique prints to my attention recently, accompanied by this little note: “This process is ink-based and requires making a steel plate of the photo image with acid baths, high-level light exposures, et cetera, until one … Continue reading →

Posted in MB Maher, photography, Plant Portraits | Tagged botanical photogravures, Karl Blossfeldt, MB Maher, photography | 5 Comments

African Queen, fore and aft

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Denise

Trumpet lily ‘African Queen’ this morning.

Posted in Bulbs, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged Lilium 'African Queen' | 12 Comments

on the scent of tillandsias

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Denise

Tillandsias, epiphytic bromeliads or “air plants,” have almost single-handedly elevated the caliber of gifts for people who love plants. Aeriums, terrariums, glass globes, and light bulb shapes like these from Los Angeles-based outdoor living shop Potted have all been inspired … Continue reading →

Posted in garden ornament, garden visit, plant nurseries, Plant Portraits | Tagged Bocconia arborea, Dirt Couture, Dustin Gimbel, Potted, Rainforest Flora, Tillandsia straminea, Tillandsia streptocarpa | 5 Comments

Bloom Day June 2012

Posted on June 16, 2012 by Denise

I got in too late yesterday for photos for a Bloom Day post, so made a head start last night on checking out the blogs linked on Carol’s May Dreams Gardens host site for Bloom Day. I think that’s the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bloom Day, Plant Portraits, succulents | Tagged Allium sphaerocephalum, Aloe distans, Anigozanthos 'Yellow Gem', Argyranthemum haouarytheum, Bouteloua gracilis, Cannonmois grandis, Cannonmois virgata, Eryngium padanifolium, Foliage Followup, International Garden Center & Floral Design, Melinus nerviglumis, Passiflora sanguinolenta, Pennisetum 'Sky Rocket', Persicaria amplexicaulis, platycerium, Prostranthera ovalifolia 'Variegata, Ruby Grass, Salvia canariensis var. candissima, staghorn fern, Teucrium hircanicum | 13 Comments